2003 Antonio Marín Montero SP/CY

This 2003 Antonio Marín Montero is a spruce and cypress flamenco blanca from Granada, Spain, well cared for and loosened up by more than a decade of regular playing.

A Traditional, Old-School Blanca

Like Antonio's best flamencos, it has a nice quick, bouncy responsiveness – the mark of the best traditional flamencos – with a great amount of power, especially at the attack, and a raspy bite to the notes in every register. Feather light, it is an old-school blanca by all measures.

Played In and Well Kept

The setup is low and comfortable, so it plays like a breeze. More than a decade of regular playing has given it a loose and very open quality to the sound, and though used, it has been very well taken care of, with only minor signs of playing wear. A monster of a guitar from one of Granada's legends.

Read more: Orfeo Magazine No. 8 – The Granada School

Antonio Marín Montero: Founder of the Modern Granada School

Antonio Marín Montero (b. 1933) is considered to be the foundational builder of the contemporary Granada school – many builders from around the world have come to Granada to work with and learn from this great maker. Born in Granada, he began as a woodworker in local cabinetmaking and marquetry workshops, among them those of Francisco Moya and Recaredo Veredas; in 1957 he joined the workshop of maestro Pérez, and in 1959, on his father's advice, he went to Eduardo Ferrer on the Cuesta de Gomérez, next to the Alhambra. With Manuel López Bellido he then ran the "Montero-Bellido" workshop, where a whole generation of Granada makers trained.

The Marín "Bouchet" and a Life of Iconic Guitars

His association with Robert Bouchet is legendary: the two became close friends after Antonio visited the Paris master in 1977, and their collaboration produced what became known as Marín's "Bouchet" model, with structural and design elements – including the famous transverse brace passing below the bridge – that clearly show Bouchet's influence. Over the decades he built some of the most iconic classical and flamenco guitars of the Granada school, working alongside his nephew José Marín Plazuelo and José González López, until he retired in 2024 and closed his workshop. The Antonio Marín Montero Guitar Building Competition, held in Granada since 2017, bears his name.